Trailer door seal

ABSTRACT

A one-piece seal is used between the rear doors of a semi-trailer truck and the rear frame of the truck, the seal having a good compression set resistance. The seal is made from multiple extrusion members that are fused, welded, or otherwise integrally, monolithically connected at corner joints to form a central opening. The extrusion members have a sealing profile, or cross-section, that allows for the compression and deflection of a pair of sealing lobes to create inner and outer seals, respectively, between the trailer frame and the door structure at the rear of a semi-trailer truck, as well as between the doors themselves.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.13/193,268, filed Jul. 28, 2011, entitle TRAILER DOOR SEAL, which claimsthe benefit under Title 35, U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/368,353, filed on Jul. 28, 2010 and entitledTRAILER DOOR SEAL, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/430,356, filed on Jan. 6, 2011 and entitled TRAILER DOOR SEAL, theentire disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated byreference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to seals, and in particular, to sealsthat are adapted to seal doors such as semi-trailer trucks, boxcars,shipping containers, building doors, etc.

2. Description of Related Art

Known seals for use on, for example, the doors of semi-trailer trucksare made from a thermoplastic that is not able to withstand extreme hotor cold temperatures. Usually, such seals are used for only one or twoseasons before seal replacement is needed. Thus, such known seals areshort-term in use.

Some known seals are formed as a plurality of separate pieces that arenot joined to one another. These separate members can be joined at theirrespective corners using separate molded corner blocks that must besealed to the separate members via glue or silicone caulk, for example.Not only are these multi-piece seals expensive, the multi-piece sealsare also difficult to install and maintain.

Further, some known thermoplastic seals rely on a flap that seals viabending against the rear frame of a trailer. However, thermoplastic haspoor performance in compression set, which is the measure of thematerial's ability to maintain deformation force over a long period oftime. Therefore, over time, the thermoplastic flap of the known sealwill not maintain a sealing force against the frame of a semi-trailertruck.

Still other seals are pre-formed to fit a given truck door size. Theseseals normally cannot be deformed without compromising the effectivenessof the seal, and are therefore shipped as a single, door-shaped piece ina large, flat shipping container having approximately the samedimensions as the door to which the seal will be mounted.

A need exists for a new seal design that has an improved compression setperformance and that may withstand extreme seasonal temperature changesto reduce the need for replacement of the seal after a short period ofuse.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a one-piece seal for use between therear doors of a semi-trailer truck and the rear frame of the truck, theseal having a good compression set resistance. The seal is made frommultiple extrusion members that are fused, welded, or otherwiseintegrally, monolithically connected at corner joints to form a centralopening that extends continuously around the corner joints. Theextrusion members have a sealing profile, or cross-section, that allowsfor the compression and deflection of a pair of sealing lobes to createinner and outer seals, respectively, between the trailer frame and thedoor structure at the rear of a semi-trailer truck, as well as betweenthe doors themselves.

The seal is formed from an elastomeric material that is elasticallydeformable, resilient, compressible and packable by rolling, stuffing orfolding into a compact space. The seal material retains a constantdeformation force over an extended period of time, and accommodatesrepeated deformations while maintaining a fluid-tight seal that sealsthe inside of the trailer from the outside environment. The elasticdeformation and monolithic, one-piece design simplifies installation asthe seal will stretch over the door and hold itself in place. Moreover,the seal is both weather resistant in subzero temperatures and resistantto degradation by UV exposure.

In one form thereof, the present disclosure provides a door seal for usein sealing a periphery of a door, the seal comprising: a monolithic sealmade of a resilient, elastically deformable material, the sealincluding: a plurality of seal portions; a plurality of seal corners,each of the seal corners integrally joining two of the plurality of sealportions; and the plurality of seal portions joined by the seal cornersto form a closed profile, the seal portions cooperating to define atleast one sealing lobe extending continuously around a periphery of theseal.

In another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a door seal foruse in sealing a gap between a periphery of a door and an opening, thedoor having a door edge extending between corners formed on a peripheryof the door, the seal comprising: a first seal portion made of aresilient, elastically deformable material, the first seal portionhaving a first cross-sectional profile comprising: a first mountingportion defining a first space sized to receive a portion of the edge ofthe door; and a deformable, first sealing lobe extending away from thefirst mounting portion, the first sealing lobe adapted to create acompression seal between the edge of the door and the opening; a secondseal portion made of a resilient, elastically deformable material, thesecond seal portion having a second cross-sectional profile comprising:a second mounting portion defining a second space sized to receive aportion of the edge of the door; and a deformable, second sealing lobeextending away from the second mounting portion, the second sealing lobeadapted to create a compression seal between the edge of the door andthe opening, the second seal portion fused to the first seal portion atan angle relative to the first seal portion, the first sealing lobejoined to the second sealing lobe to form a continuous lobe cornerextending around a corner of the door, the continuous lobe cornerdimensioned to provide a compression seal between the corner of the doorand an adjacent corner of the opening.

In yet another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a method ofproducing a door seal, the method comprising: procuring a first sealportion holder, the first seal portion holder comprising: a first recessdefining a longitudinal axis, and a first inner face defining an anglewith respect to the longitudinal axis of the first recess; procuring asecond seal portion holder, the second seal portion holder comprising: asecond recess defining a longitudinal axis, and a second inner facedefining a second angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of thesecond recess; placing a first seal portion into the first seal portionholder, the first seal portion having a miter-cut end, the step ofplacing the first seal portion including placing the miter-cut endsubstantially flush with the first inner face; placing a second sealportion into the second seal portion holder, the second seal portionhaving a miter-cut end, the step of placing the second seal portionincluding placing the miter-cut end substantially flush with the secondinner face; and fusing the first seal portion to the second sealportion.

In still another form thereof, the present disclosure provides a methodof sealing an opening, the method comprising: procuring a monolithic,elastically deformable first seal, the first seal comprising: a firstplurality of seal portions; a first plurality of seal corners, each ofthe seal corners integrally joining two of the first plurality of sealportions; and the first plurality of seal portions joined by the sealcorners to form a closed profile, the first plurality of seal portionscooperating to define at least one sealing lobe extending continuouslyaround a periphery of the first seal; attaching a first one of the firstplurality of seal corners to a corresponding first corner of a firstdoor, the first door movable between a closed position and an openposition; stretching one of the first plurality of seal portions toalign a second one of the first plurality of seal corners with acorresponding second corner of the first door; attaching the second oneof the first plurality of seal corners to the corresponding secondcorner of the first door; and repeating the attaching and stretchingsteps for the remainder of the first plurality of seal corners such thatthe first seal fully encapsulates a periphery of the first door.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of thisdisclosure, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparentand the invention itself will be better understood by reference to thefollowing descriptions of an embodiment of the invention taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a semi-trailer truck includingdoors that are fitted with seals according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a fragmentary view of a corner of the rear frame and doorstructure of the semi-trailer truck of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a fragmentary view of a right-door seal according to thepresent disclosure, illustrating an inside-facing portion of the sealcorner prior to a fusing process;

FIG. 2C is a section view of the right-door seal shown in FIG. 2B, inwhich the section line bisects a hollow formed in a seal lobe;

FIG. 2D is a perspective view of a fusing apparatus operable to fusemitered seal corners;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a truck door seal in accordance withthe present disclosure, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 3,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which one of a pair doors isillustrated in a closed position and the other of the pair of doors isapproaching a closed position;

FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 4,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which both of the pair of doors areshown in a fully closed position;

FIG. 6 is cross-sectional view of an outer door seal of FIG. 1 mountedon the edge of a door;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another truck door seal inaccordance with the present disclosure, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 7,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which one of a pair doors is shown ina closed position and the other of the pair of doors is approaching aclosed position;

FIG. 9 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 8,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which both of the pair of doors areshown in a fully closed position and define a relatively narrow door gaptherebetween;

FIG. 10 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 8,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which both of the pair of doors areshown in a fully closed position and define a relatively wide door gaptherebetween;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of another truck door seal inaccordance with the present disclosure, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1,in which one of a pair doors is shown in a closed position and the otherof the pair of doors is approaching a closed position;

FIG. 12 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 11,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which both of the pair of doors areshown in a fully closed position and define a relatively narrow door gaptherebetween;

FIG. 13 is another cross-sectional view of the seal shown in FIG. 11,taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, in which both of the pair of doors areshown in a fully closed position and define a relatively wide door gaptherebetween;

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of another truck door seal inaccordance with the present disclosure, taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1,in which one of a pair thick trailer doors is shown in a closed positionand the other of the pair of doors is approaching a closed position;

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an outer door seal mounted on thevertical edge of a first closing door in accordance with an additionalembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of an outer door seal mounted on thevertical edge of a first closing door in accordance with a still furtherembodiment of the present disclosure.

Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding partsthroughout the several views. The exemplifications set out hereinillustrate an exemplary embodiment of the invention, and suchexemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of thedisclosure in any manner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Large trucks, such as semi-trailer trucks, often need sealing unitsbetween rear door structures and a rear frame of the truck, as well asbetween the rear doors themselves. The present one-piece seal designedfor installation on trailer doors for semi-trailer trucks is made offour individually extruded sections, or extrusion members. The extrusionmembers are heat fused or welded together to form a four-sided,one-piece, monolithic design having a closed profile. This one-piecedesign ensures that there is no leak path across the seal when the sealis placed on the semi-trailer truck.

While the seals of the present disclosure are discussed in terms ofsemi-trailer truck doors, other uses are also contemplated. For example,shipping containers, railroad boxcars and building doors may be usedwith seals made in accordance with the present disclosure. Moreover, anyaperture or opening which is sealingly blocked with a cover ofcomparable size and shape may benefit from the application of suchseals.

Referring now to FIG. 1, trailer 10 of a semi-trailer truck is shown ashaving leg prop assembly 12, wheel assembly 14, and cargo box 15. Cargobox 15 has five sides sealed to one another to define a cargo spacetherein, with the sixth side of cargo box 15 open for transferring cargoto and from the cargo space. The open sixth side is selectively closedby a rear door assembly including a generally rectangular rear frame 16,doors 18 and 20, latch assemblies 22, and seals 24, 24′. As discussed indetail below, seals 24, 24′ span the gaps between rear frame 16 anddoors 18, 20, as well as the gap between left door 18 and right door 20.

1. Seal Configurations and Characteristics

Referring still to FIG. 1, left seal 24 mounts to left door 18, andright seal 24′ mounts to right door 20. Left and right seals 24, 24′ aregenerally similar in structure, except where left and right seals 24,24′ interact with one another to seal the gap between left and rightdoors 18, 20 (described below and shown, e.g., in FIGS. 8-10). Moreparticularly, seals 24, 24′ each include identical upper seal portions21, outer seal portions 23, and lower seal portions 25, which arerespectively sized and adapted to mate with the top, outside and bottomedges of doors 18, 20. Seals 24, 24′ also include inner seal portions27, 27′ which may differ from one another to facilitate sealingengagement between seals 24, 24′ as described in detail below.

The inner, outer, upper and lower portions of seals 24, 24′ are fused toone another at the seal corners to create a one-piece, monolithic sealfor each of doors 18, 20. In one example, best shown in FIGS. 2A-2C, thecorner of seal 24 is formed by a fused, mitered joint between upper sealportion 21 and outer seal portion 23. For a rectangular door, themitered joint is formed by two 45-degree miter cuts to accommodate the90-degree angle of the door corners. The other three seal corners aresimilarly mitered and fused together at generally right angles, suchthat seal 24 defines a generally rectangular central opening 28 sizedand shaped to fit tightly over left door 18. Alternatively, the cornersof seals 24, 24′ may be formed by an injection-molding process. Suchmethods are described in detail in the “Methods of Production” sectionbelow.

Several embodiments of cross-sections which may be used for seals 24,24′ are shown and described herein. A first embodiment, shown in FIGS.3-6, include reference numerals ending in “A,” such that seals 24, 24′having a cross section in accordance with the first embodiment can besaid to include seal portions 21A, 23A, 25A, 27A and 27A′. FIGS. 7-10similarly illustrate a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment ofseals 24, 24′, with reference numerals ending in “B”. FIGS. 11-13illustrate yet another cross-sectional view of a third embodiment ofseals 24, 24′, with reference numerals ending in “C.” FIGS. 14, 15 and16 illustrate still other cross-sectional views of a third, fourth andfifth embodiment of seals 24, 24′, with reference numerals ending in“D,” “E” and “F” respectively.

Each of the six embodiments described herein include a set of sealportions with analogous functions and structures, and are generallysimilar except as described below. As used herein, “seal 24” and “seal24′” may refer to seals having any such set of seal portions. Byextension, generic reference to a seal portion implies that anyexemplary set may be used, such that “seal portion 21” may refer to anyof seal portions 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, 21E and 21F. Similarly, “sealportion 23” may refer to any of seal portions 23A-23F, “seal portion 25”may refer to any of seal portions 25A-25F, “seal portion 27” may referto any of seal portions 27A-27F, and “seal portion 27′” may refer to anyof seal portions 27A′-27F′.

In an exemplary embodiment, upper, outer, and lower portions 21, 23, 25of seals 24, 24′ share a common cross-section. For one of seals 24, 24′(i.e., left seal 24 of FIG. 1) inner portion 27 has a uniquecross-section adapted to mate with inner portion 27′. For the other ofseals 24, 24′, (i.e., right seal 24′ of FIG. 1), inner portion 27′ mayhave the same cross-section as upper, outer, and lower portions 21, 23,25, or may have a unique cross-section specifically adapted to mate withinner portion 27. Particular cross-sectional geometries of seals 24, 24′are discussed in detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, outer portion 23A of seal 24 is shown disposedbetween right door 20 and wall 19 of rectangular frame 16 (FIG. 1). Asnoted above, outer portion 23A has the same cross sectional geometry asupper and lower portions 21A, 25A. For purposes of simplicity, outerportion 23A is described below, it being understood that upper and lowerportions 21A, 25A interact similarly with respective adjacent portionsof frame 16 when doors 18, 20 are closed.

Outer portion 23A has a generally deformable, pliable body includingmounting portion 31 and sealing portion 33 which are integrally andmonolithically formed with one another. Mounting portion 31 includesinside wall 30 and a substantially parallel outside wall 32 definingspace 35 for receipt of door 20 therebetween. Sealing portion 33includes first and second deformable sealing lobes 41, 42, whichelastically deform to sealingly engage with adjacent surfaces andprovide a fluid-tight seal between door 20 and wall 19, as describedbelow.

In the installed and sealed state shown in FIG. 3, first sealing lobe 41is substantially aligned with the outer one of the pair of parallelwalls 30, 32 of mounting portion 31. First sealing lobe 41 has anelongate, arcuate profile that spans the gap between door 20 and wall19, and extends further from mounting portion 31 to overlap wall 19,when door 20 is in a closed position (and second sealing lobe 42 istherefore in contact with inner surface wall 17, as shown). In thisconfiguration, sealing lobe 41 is sealing seated upon wall 19. Outerwall 32 is sealingly affixed to the adjacent surface of door 20. Thus,outer wall 32 and sealing lobe 41 cooperate to present an initial, outerbarrier to ingress of fluid into cargo box 15 through the gap betweendoor 20 and wall 19.

Sealing portion 33 of outer seal portion 23A further includes secondsealing lobe 42 which provides a second, inner fluid barrier againstsuch fluid ingress. As best seen in FIG. 6, the cross-section of secondsealing lobe 42 of sealing portion 33 includes diagonal wall 34extending from inside wall 30. Convex hemispherical wall 36 is disposedbetween diagonal wall 34 and concave hemispherical wall 37, and firstsealing lobe 41 extends from concave hemispherical wall 37. Diagonalwall 34 and convex hemispherical wall 36 cooperate to define deformableinner lobe tip 44, which sealingly biases against inner surface 17 ofrear frame 16 as shown in FIG. 3. Second sealing lobe 42 includescylindrical hollow 46, which aids in producing a controlled, repeatablecompression of second sealing lobe 42 against inner surface 17 whendoors 20 of trailer 10 is closed.

In use, as shown in FIG. 3, first and second sealing lobes 41, 42cooperate to form redundant, inner and outer fluid-tight seals betweenthe inside and outside of cargo box 15. More particularly, when doors 18and 20 are closed, second sealing lobe 42 is compressed such that lobetip 44 elastically deforms. This elastic deformation biases lobe tip 44against inner surface 17 of rear frame 16 to create an inner fluid-tightseal between doors 18 and 20 and the inner surfaces of the top, side, orbottom portions of rear frame 16. Advantageously, this creates areliably fluid-tight seal even if the seal is jostled or vibrated (suchas during transport).

Concurrently with deformation of second sealing lobe 42 to create aninner seal, deformation of first sealing lobe 41 creates an outer seal.When door 20 is closed, tip 40 of first sealing lobe 41 is deflectedfrom a first position to a second position along a deflection directionD having deflection magnitude B (FIG. 6). By comparison with theundeformed state shown in FIG. 6, it can be seen in FIG. 3 suchdeflection elastically deforms first sealing lobe 41. This elasticallydeformation biases deflectable tip 40 toward wall 19, such that lobe 41is pressed against rear frame 16 to form an outer fluid-tight sealbetween doors 18 and 20 and the inner surfaces of the top, side, orbottom portions of rear frame 16.

Thus, three sides of doors 18, 20, are redundantly sealed againstingress of fluid by first and second sealing lobes 41, 42. To completethe seal of the rear door assembly shown in FIG. 1, the gap between leftand right doors 18, 20 is sealed by left and right inner portions 27A,27A′, which cooperate to form a redundant inner and outer seal asdescribed in detail below. To form this redundant seal, inner sealportion 27A may have a unique cross-section different from seal portion27A′, while inner portion 27A′ has the same cross-section as upper,outer and lower portions 21A, 23A, 25A. It is, however, contemplatedthat a unique cross-section may be used for both of inner seal portions27A and 27A′.

Inner seal portion 27A sealingly engages inner seal portion 27A′ asshown in FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 illustrates a cross-sectional view ofdoors 18 and 20 in a partially-open configuration, with door 18 in aclosed position and door 20 approaching a closed position. Door 20pivots between the open and closed positions along the direction ofarrow A (e.g., around a hinge disposed near outer seal portion 23A).Left door 18 similarly pivots between open and closed positions. In theillustrated embodiment, right door 20 is closed after left door 18 toensure proper engagement of seals 24, 24′, such that a moving rightinner seal 27A′ (attached to an inner edge of right door 20) engages astationary left inner seal 27A (attached to an inner edge of left door18) as shown in FIG. 5 and described in detail below. Of course, leftand right seals 27A, 27A′ may be interchanged to provide for left door18 to be closed upon right door 20 as required or desired.

The unique cross-section of left inner seal 27A includes mountingportion 47 and sealing portion 49. As with the cross-section of outerseal portion 23A described above, mounting portion 47 includes inner andouter walls 48, 50 defining space 51 for receipt of left door 18therebetween. Sealing portion 49 includes a generally triangular sealinglobe 52 which extends from walls 48, 50. Sealing lobe 52 is includesdiagonal walls 54 and 56 that meet at inner lobe tip 58. Sealing lobe 52also includes cylindrical hollow 60 that aids in facilitatingcompression of triangular sealing lobe 52, as further described below,when doors 18 and 20 are closed.

FIG. 5 illustrates left and right doors 18, 20 in a fully closedposition, with left door 18 having in profile the cross-section of leftinner seal portion 27A and second closing door 20 having in profile thecross-section of inner seal portion 27A′. In this fully closed position,inner lobe tip 44 of seal portion 27A′ deforms against triangular innerlobe tip 58 of seal portion 27A, such that tips are mutually deformed todefine an area of contact. Meanwhile, first sealing lobe 41 of sealportion 27A′ deflects to bias against outer wall 50 of seal 27A in asimilar manner as described above. In this manner, inner lobes 42, 52deform against one another to form a first, inner seal within the gapbetween the doors, while first sealing lobe 41 biases against wall 50 ofthe adjacent seal 27A to form a second, redundant outer seal between theclosed doors.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-10, a cross-section of a second exemplaryembodiment of seals 24, 24′ is shown. Seals 27B, 27B′ are similar toseals 27A, 27A′ described above, and reference numbers in FIGS. 7-10refer to analogous structures shown in FIGS. 3-6 and described abovewith respect to seals 27A, 27A′. Similarly to outer seal portion 23A,the cross sectional geometry of outer portion 23B discussed herein mayalso be used for upper and lower seal portions 21B, 25B, as well as forone of inner seal portions 27B, 27B′. For purposes of the presentdiscussion, right inner seal portion 27B′ (FIG. 8) is taken to have thesame cross section as outer seal portion 23B (FIG. 7). Advantageously,using a common cross section around the entire periphery of seal 24facilitates continuity of lobe 142 and provides an enhanced seal asdescribed below.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, outer seal portion 23B includes mountingportion 131 and sealing portion 133. Mounting portion 131 includesinside wall 130 and outside wall 132 defining space 35 for receipt ofdoor 20 therebetween. Sealing portion 133 includes first and seconddeformable sealing lobes 141, 142, which cooperate with adjacentsurfaces to provide a fluid-tight seal between door 20 and wall 19.Mounting portion 131 and first sealing lobe 141 are generally similar tomounting portion 31 and first sealing lobe 41 (discussed above) instructure and function, such that repeated discussion of same is notnecessary here. However, second sealing lobe 142 of sealing portion 133is differently shaped and positioned to provide an enhanced inner sealbetween door 20 and inner surface 17 of rear frame 16.

As shown in FIG. 8, a generally triangular second sealing lobe 142includes diagonal wall 134 formed on the inside surface thereof, with agenerally identical, mirror-image diagonal wall 138 formed opposite theinside surface and facing the outside surface, such that second sealinglobe is generally symmetrical. A deformable inner lobe tip 144 joinsdiagonal walls 134, 138. Instead of cylindrical hollow 46 describedabove, a generally triangular hollow 146 is bounded by walls 134 andlobe tip 144, such that the cross-section of second sealing lobe 142 hasa substantially constant wall thickness T₁. In the illustratedembodiment, wall thickness T₁ is about the same as the correspondingthicknesses of walls 130, 132.

Inner wall 134 of second sealing lobe 142 extends outwardly from innerwall 130, such that sealing lobe 142 may be said to join mountingportion 131 at the one end of inner wall 134. On the other hand, outerwall 138 of second sealing lobe 142 joins mounting portion 131 at alocation approximately halfway between inner wall 130 and outer wall132. Put another way, second sealing lobe 142 is “off-center” orasymmetrically disposed with respect to centerline C bisecting sealportion 27B′ (FIG. 8) while outer wall 138 runs substantially alongcenterline C. As discussed below, this asymmetric orientation providesan enhanced liquid-tight seal.

Rather than concave hemispherical wall 37 (discussed above), outer andinner seal portions 23B, 27B′ define pocket 137 extending from outerwall 132 of mounting portion 131 to outer wall 138 of second sealinglobe 142. As shown in FIG. 7, for example, pocket 137 is sufficientlylarge to accommodate lobe tip 144 when second sealing lobe 142 isseverely deformed into a sealing configuration. The relatively largesize of triangular hollow 146 and the uniform wall thickness of secondsealing lobe 142 (described above) facilitate such deformation, so thatwhen outer seal portion 23B is pressed against inner surface wall 17 ofrear frame 16, second sealing lobe 142 folds into pocket 137.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, inner wall 134 presents a large surface areafor contact with inner surface wall 17, thereby creating a robustliquid-tight seal therebetween. At the same time, pocket 137 is largeenough to allow second sealing lobe 142 to elastically deform into the“folded” configuration illustrated in FIG. 7 without pressing againstthe inner surface of first sealing lobe 141, thereby ensuring that firstsealing lobe 141 will remain fully sealingly biased toward wall 19 ofrectangular frame 16 even when second sealing lobe 142 is in its fullydeformed or “folded” state.

Referring back to FIG. 8, left inner seal portion 27B has a uniqueprofile as compared to the other seal portions of seal 24 (i.e., sealportions 21, 23 and 25). This unique profile allows left inner sealportion 27B to cooperate with right inner seal portion 27B′ toredundantly seal the gap between doors 18, 20.

More particularly, left inner seal portion 27B lacks first sealing lobe141. In all other respects, the profile of left inner seal portion 27Bis similar to right inner seal portion 27B′. Thus, left inner sealportion 27B includes mounting portion 131 having inside and outsidewalls 130, 132 defining space 35 for receipt of door 18 therebetween.Second sealing lobe 142 again includes lobe tip 144 joining inside andoutside walls 134, 138, which cooperate to define a generally triangularhollow 146.

The lack of an outer sealing lobe in seal portion 27B facilitates theredundantly sealed configuration shown in FIG. 9 Inner seal portion27B′, which has the same cross-section as outer seal portion 23B of FIG.7, allows severe deformation of lobe 142 into pocket 137 when doors 18,20 are moved from the open configuration (FIG. 8) to the closedconfiguration (FIG. 9). In the case of inner seal portion 27B′, however,this deformation is caused by interaction between the pair of secondsealing lobes 142 of left and right inner seal portions 27B, 27B′,rather than interaction between second sealing lobe 142 and wall 17(FIG. 7).

As illustrated in FIG. 9, this lobe-on-lobe interaction causes mutualelastic deformation, resulting in a tortuous, arcuate contact profiletherebetween. The contacting portions of the pair of lobes 142 alsooccupies a large proportion of the area between inside wall 134 ofright-side lobe 142 (of right inner seal portion 27B′) and outside wall138 of the left-side lobe 142 (of left inner seal portion 27B), asillustrated. Advantageously, this tortuous, large-area contact providesa robust liquid-tight inner seal between doors 18, 20 which is resistantto outside forces such as vibration, shock and wind. In addition to theseal provided by interaction between the pair of sealing lobes 142,first sealing lobe 141 of seal portion 27B′ also cooperates with outerwall 132 of seal portion 27B to create an outer seal, as noted above,thereby isolating the inner seal from most or all of the elementsoutside cargo box 15 (FIG. 1).

In FIG. 9, a relatively narrow gap width G_(N) is shown between leftdoor 18 and right door 20. However, seals 24, 24′ are capable ofproviding a liquid-tight seal across a range of gap widths between doors18, 20. Referring to FIG. 10, a much wider gap width G_(W) is shown inconjunction with inner seal portions 27B, 27B′. As illustrated,lobe-on-lobe interaction still causes mutual elastic deformation, suchthat contact between inside wall 134 of right-side lobe 142 (of rightinner seal portion 27B′) and outside wall 138 of the left-side lobe 142(of left inner seal portion 27B) still occurs. Further, it can be seenthat first sealing lobe 141 is long enough to ensure that deflectabletip 140 can still contact, and bias against outside wall 132 in similarfashion to first sealing lobe 41 described above. In an exemplaryembodiment, the gap widths G_(N), G_(W) accommodated by inner sealportions 27B, 27B′ may be as small as 0.20 inches, 0.25 inches, or 0.30inches or as large as 0.63 inches, or any range defined by any of theforegoing values.

Advantageously, maintaining a common cross section of lobe 142 aroundthe entire periphery of seals 24, 24′ may cooperate with the use ofmiter-cut edges (shown in FIGS. 2A-2C and described in detail below) tocreate continuity of walls 134, 138 and tip 144 at the corners of seals24, 24′. Put another way, hollows 146 may create a continuously sealedcavity around the entire periphery of seals 24, 24′, including thecorners thereof. Thus, a continuous lobe extends uninterrupted aroundthe entire periphery of doors 18, 20, eliminating potential leak pathsat the corners of doors 18, 20, in the same manner as along the edges ofdoors 18, 20. The cavity defined by hollows 146 similarly extendsuninterrupted around the entire periphery of seals 24, 24′.

However, it is contemplated that special unique cross sections may beused for both left and right inner seal portions 27B, 27B′. For example,second sealing lobe 142 may be shortened on right inner seal portion27B′, i.e., the inner seal portion of the later-closed truck door, whichis right door 20 in the illustrated embodiment. Shortening this secondsealing lobe 142 while leaving all other second sealing lobes the sameheight may, for example, be employed where narrow gap width G_(N) (FIG.9) is observed, in order to avoid impingement of lobe 142 on outsidewall 132 of left inner seal portion 27B as right door 20 is closed.Similarly, left inner seal portion 27B may have a different, uniquecross-section as compared to all other sealing portions, such as byrelocating or reconfiguring the geometry of second sealing portion 142,in order to optimize the fluid-tightness of the seal. It is contemplatedthat continuity of lobes 142 around the periphery of seals 24, 24′ mayalso be maintained with alternative manufacturing methods, such asinjection-molded corners (as described below).

Referring now to FIGS. 11-13, a cross-section of another exemplaryembodiment of seals 24, 24′ is shown. Seals 27C, 27C′ are similar toseals 27B, 27B′ described above, and reference numbers in FIGS. 11-13refer to analogous structures shown in FIGS. 8-10 and described abovewith respect to seals 27B, 27B′. However, lobes 242 define thickness T₂which is less than thickness T₁, and is less than the correspondingthicknesses defined by mounting portion 231. In an exemplary embodiment,thickness T₂ is about 0.085 inches. This reduced thickness T₂facilitates easier elastic deformation of the pair of lobes 242 whendoors 18, 20 are in the closed position, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13.Thus, the tortuous, arcuate path defined by contact between inside wall234 of right-side lobe 242 (of right inner seal portion 27B′) andoutside wall 238 of the left-side lobe 242 defines an even largercontact area therebetween.

Further, the embodiment illustrated 11-13 includes a longer, moreinwardly curved first sealing lobe 241. This additional length and curveincreases the biasing force applied by sealing lobe 241 against outerwall 232 when doors 18, 20 are in the closed configuration, as shown inFIGS. 12 and 13.

Referring now to FIG. 14, a cross-section of yet another exemplaryembodiment of seals 24, 24′ is shown. Seals 27D, 27D′ are similar toseals 27C, 27C′ described above, and reference numbers in FIGS. 11-13refer to analogous structures shown in FIGS. 11-13 and described abovewith respect to seals 27C, 27C′. However, inner and outer walls 330, 332of mounting portions 331 are spaced farther apart to accommodate largerdoors 18A, 20A. For example, doors 18, 20 may have a thickness of about0.50 inches, while doors 18A, 20A may have a thickness of about 0.75inches. Outer walls 332 of seals 27D, 27D′ also include a chamfered edge339, which avoids or minimizes application of forces to outer wall 339(such as by a truck operator opening and closing doors 18A, 20A whichmight otherwise urge seals 27D, 27D′ to “roll off” of doors 18A, 20A.Seals 27A, 27A′, 27B, 27B′, 27C and/or 27C′ may include similar suchchamfers.

Lobes 342 of seals 27D, 27D′ may define thickness T₂′ which is less thanthickness T₂ described above with respect to seals 27D, 27D′, and isless than the corresponding thicknesses defined by mounting portion 331.In an exemplary embodiment, thickness T₂ ^(′) is about 0.054 inches.

Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, cross-sections of two additionalexemplary embodiments of seals 24, 24′ is shown. Seals 27E and 27F aresimilar to seals 27A, 27A′ described above, and reference numbers inFIGS. 15 and 16 refer to analogous structures shown in FIGS. 3-6 anddescribed above with respect to seals 27A, 27A′. Seals 27E and 27F areadapted to be fitted onto a first-closed door of a pair of trailerdoors, such as left door 18 in the illustrated embodiment. Each of theillustrated inner seal portions includes an additional feature adaptedto reinforce the sealing lobe of the seal and to prevent or restrict arolling motion of the seal inwardly in a direction toward the interiorof the trailer upon closing of the second door as the sealing lobes ofthe pair of seals engage one another.

Referring to FIG. 15, for example, inner seal portion 27E includesauxiliary reinforcement lobe 70 adapted to face the interior of cargobox 15 (FIG. 1). Reinforcement lobe 70 is disposed substantially at thejunction between wall 48 and diagonal wall 54 of sealing lobe 52.Auxiliary reinforcement lobe 70 provides additional material at thisjunction, which strengthens seal portion 27E and acts to prevent theabove-described rolling of seal portion 27E upon contact with sealportion 27A′ (FIG. 5) as sealing lobe 42 of seal portion 27A′ engagessealing lobe 52 of seal portion 27E.

Referring to FIG. 16, in a still further embodiment, wall 48 of innerseal portion 27F may include a pocket or hollow portion 72 disposedproximate the junction between wall 48 and diagonal wall 54 of sealinglobe 52. A reinforcing strip of steel 74, or other rigid material suchas a rigid plastic, for example, may be received within pocket 72, whichreinforces wall 48 of seal portion 27F and aids in preventing theabove-described rolling of seal portion 27F upon contact with seal 27A′(FIG. 5) as sealing lobe 42 of seal portion 27A′ engages sealing lobe 52of seal portion 27F.

2. Seal Installation and Use

As noted above, seals 24, 24′ are unitary, monolithic seals havingupper, outer, lower and inner seal portions 21, 23, 25, 27 (or 27′)joined by fused corners. In an exemplary embodiment, seals 24, 24′ arealso made from a resiliently elastically deformable material, such asEPDM (see also “Methods of Seal Production” section below).

For simplicity, installation will be discussed with respect to left seal24 on left door 18. Installation of any seal made in accordance with thepresent disclosure to any door or panel can be accomplished in a similarmanner.

To install seal 24 to left door 18 (FIG. 1), any two adjacent corners ofseal 24, such as the top corners, are attached to the appropriatecorresponding corners of door 18. Opposing corners may also be used asthe first two corners of attachment. In an exemplary embodiment, seal 24may be sized to require a slight stretch of seal 24 to bring the secondseal corner into alignment with the second door corner. For example, theseal may be stretched as little as 3% or as much as 15% or 30%, or maynot be stretched at all. The third and fourth corners are similarlyattached to their respective door corners, leaving seal 24 looselyattached to door 18.

Next, one of seal portions 21, 23, 25, 27, such as upper seal portion21, is attached to the corresponding edge of door 18. To effect suchattachment, inside and outside walls 30, 32 are aligned with door 18 andworked until space 35 is fully occupied by door 18. Once fullyinstalled, door 18 is encapsulated by the closed profile of seal 24,i.e., the entire outer periphery of door 18 is covered over by seal 24.As a result of this encapsulation, no leak paths are present around theperiphery of the door.

Optionally, adhesive may be applied to space 35 prior to, during orafter the seal portion is attached to the door edge. In one exemplaryembodiment, a special spreader tool with an adhesive nozzle maysimultaneously seat space 35 on door 18 while applying a layer ofadhesive therebetween. In another embodiment, seals 24, 24′ may bemechanically fastened to doors 18, 20, such as by driving screws throughseals 24, 24′ and into respective doors 18, 20. For example, screws maybe driven through inside or outside walls 30, 32 (or 130, 132) ofmounting portion 31 (or mounting portion 131), through concavehemispherical wall 37, or through pocket 137.

Advantageously, the attachment of seal portions 21, 23, 25, 27 tocorresponding door edges after the securement of the seal corners to thedoor corners ensures even tension throughout the seal material (providedsuch tension is imparted to the seal material, i.e., by stretching).This even tension promotes even seal seating against the adjacentsurfaces of rear frame 16, as described above, which in turn promotes along-lasting fluid-tight seal.

Right seal 24′ is then installed to right door 20 in a similar manner.With both of seals 24, 24′ so installed, effecting the seal isaccomplished by simply closing doors 18, 20 in the designated order. Thefirst door to be closed is the door with inner seal portion 27, i.e.,the inner seal portion lacking either of first sealing lobes 41, 141. Inthe illustrated embodiment shown in the figures, this is left door 18.The first door may be secured in the closed position, such as byactivating latch assembly 22. The second door is then closed over thefirst door, which engages right inner seal portion 27′ with left innerseal portion 27 as described above. The second door may similarly belocked by activating the other of latch assemblies 22.

Where inner seal portion 27F with solid strip 74 (FIG. 16) is used,solid strip 74 may be made shorter than the final stretched length ofseal portion 27F (i.e., the seal length after installation on one ofdoors 18, 20). As seal portion 27F is stretched during installation,solid strip 74 can move within pocket 72 to effectively allow pocket 72to lengthen while solid strip 74 maintains its original length. Thus,solid strip 74 will still provide additional support to most of the sealportion in which it is installed.

Advantageously, the range of gap widths accommodated by seals 24, 24′,(i.e., gaps between narrow gap width G_(N) and wide gap width G_(W)described above and illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10) allows seals 24, 24′to be retrofitted on a wide variety of trailers in differing states ofrepair. Moreover, seals 24, 24′ can be used as frame seals for manyapplications, such as for overseas shipping containers, exteriordoorways, or any other application in which a door must sealingly engagea correspondingly sized aperture.

As noted herein, seals 24, 24′ are unitary, monolithic and elasticallydeformable devices. These unique qualities allow seals 24, 24′ to becollapsed into a small package, such as a typical cube-type shippingbox, without compromising the integrity or effectiveness of seals 24,24′. In an exemplary embodiment, a shipping box sized to fit both seals24, 24′ is approximately 13 inches wide, 13 inches long and 13 inchestall. Advantageously, seals 24, 24′ may be folded, rolled, or stuffedinto such a box, and the box may then be shipped to a remote locationwhere the seal is unfolded, unrolled or unstuffed to be applied to aflat panel (such as rectangular doors 18, 20) defining a maximumdimension substantially larger than the maximum dimension of theshipping box. Advantageously, seals 24, 24′ do not permanently deform(i.e., no deformation set occurs) in the shipping box, such that seals24, 24′ easily “spring back” into their originally formed shape afterbeing removed from the package.

In addition, the packability of seals 24, 24′ allow extra seals 24, 24′to be compactly stored and procured on short notice. For a seal havinginner seal portion 27F (FIG. 16) having solid strip 74, solid strip 74may be pliable enough to be folded or rolled, or may be installedseparately within pocket 72 after unpacking the seal with seal portion27F.

3. Methods of Seal Production

In an exemplary embodiment, each of the seal portions 21, 23, 25, 27,27′ are produced independently by extruding pliable material at anelevated temperature through an appropriately shaped die. As notedabove, a common extrusion may be used for upper, outer, and lower sealportions 21, 23, 25. A single continuous strip of extruded material maytherefore be produced and cut to length for these three seal portions,with the same or a unique extrusion profile used for the fourth, innerseal portion 27 or 27′ as described above. Respective ends of the fourseal portions are then fused to one another to form seals 24, 24′ intounitary, monolithic truck door seals having a generally rectangularcentral opening 28 (FIG. 1). Methods of fusing the corners in accordancewith the present disclosure are discussed in detail below.

As mentioned above, seals 24, 24′ may be made of a resilient,elastically deformable/compressible material. Such materials may includenatural rubber, silicone, isoprene, ethylene propylene (“EPM”) orethylene propylene diene monomer (“EPDM”) rubber, a mixture ofcross-linked EPDM rubber and polypropylene, such as SANTOPRENE®(SANTOPRENE® is a registered trademark of the Exxon Mobil Corporation ofIrving, Tex.), or any other suitable material. In an exemplaryembodiment, the material used for seals 24, 24′ has good resistance tocompression set, resists degradation from exposure to UV light and otherenvironmental impacts, and remains pliable in cold temperatures.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present disclosure, the sealmaterial is made from EPDM, which has been found exhibit theabove-mentioned exemplary qualities for superior longevity in theenvironments normally encountered by shipping trailers. For example,normal use of a truck door seal made in accordance with the presentdisclosure may subject the seal to repeated deformations over time, suchas by repeated opening and closing of the doors to which the seal isattached, or to vibrations and deformations resulting from movement ofthe vehicle with which the doors are associated. Forming the seal from amaterial highly resistant to compression set, such as EPDM, renders theseal well-suited for use in the potentially harsh service environmentsencountered in the shipping industry. Even after repeated deformations,the above-mentioned seal materials maintain their original shape andelasticity and are therefore able to maintain the desired sealing effectover time. In an exemplary embodiment EPDM having a durometer of about60 may be used. When the seals are monolithic, the durometer of theentirety of such seals is the same throughout respective seal crosssections.

Two exemplary methods of fusing the seal portion corners include fusingthe seal portions at a miter cut and injection molding the seal corners.In the first method, seals 24, 24′ are miter cut at their edges at 45°angles and heat fused. The heat fusing of the extrusion members may beeffected in various ways including fusing of mitered edges and injectionmolding.

In an exemplary embodiment, the extrusion members may be extruded fromcompressible, resilient elastomeric material that is cut to have miteredends, as noted above. Referring to FIG. 2D, showing an apparatus forfusing miter seal corners to one another, these mitered ends are theninserted into seal portion holders 504, which each include lower block506, upper block 508, and center block 510. When assembled as shown inFIG. 2D, blocks 506, 508, 510 cooperate to define mirror-image apertures512 corresponding to the cross-section of a seal portion, such as sealportions 21, 23. When seal portions 21, 23 are disposed withinrespective apertures 512, each seal portion 21, 23 is well-supportedsuch that the shape is maintained through the rest of the fusingprocess.

Apertures 512 each define a longitudinal axis A (FIG. 2D) correspondingto a longitudinal axis of seal portions 21, 23. The longitudinal axis ofseal portions 21, 23 may be considered to be, for example, an axisparallel to the direction of extrusion of seal portions 21, 23. In thecase of seal portions The ends of seals portions 21, 23 are miter-cut ata certain angle, such as 45-degrees as discussed above, such that thepair of longitudinal axes A form a 90-degree angle when the ends areabutted to one another as shown in FIGS. 2A-2C. Inner faces 514 of sealholders 504 each define the same angle with respect to the respectivelongitudinal axes of apertures 512, such that end surfaces 516, 518 ofseal portions 21, 23 are flush with inner faces 514 when seal portions21, 23 are secured within apertures 512.

With seal portions 21, 23 secured within apertures 512, ribbon 502 ispositioned between seal holders 504, and seal holders 504 are then movedinwardly (e.g., along slide 505) toward one another into abuttingcontact, and are held together. Heat is locally applied tosimultaneously heat end faces 516, 518 of seal portions 21, 23 and meltribbon 202, such as by direct conduction through seal holders 504, forexample. This heat operates to fuse the mitered ends together.Alternatively, an uncured liquid may be applied to one or both of sealportions in lieu of ribbon 202. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, the materialof ribbon 202 may melt away within cavity 146 such that the pair ofcavities 146 of seal portions 21, 23 form one continuous cavitytraversing the newly formed corner between seal portions 21, 23.

Once the material has sufficiently hardened and/or cured and with sealholders 504 still in abutting contact, upper blocks 508 are movedupwardly (e.g., along slides 509) and center block is moved or pivotedaway, leaving seal portions 21, 23 exposed. The fused seal portions maythen be removed by lifting away from lower block 506.

In some instances, the extrusion members may retain a residual heat fromthe extrusion process, which allows the mitered ends of separateextrusion members to fuse to one another when the ends are held togetherwithout the use of ribbon 202.

The one-piece monolithic seal, after heat fusing, may then be installedonto a semi-trailer truck door by stretching the seal around the edgesof the door as described above.

In the second method of fusing the seal portion corners, each sealportion may have regular or plain-cut ends, i.e., the cut face may betransverse to the direction of extrusion. These cut ends may then beplaced adjacent one another beneath an injection molding head andadjacent an injection-molding die, with a corner of the cuts touching ornearly touching. The void at the seal corner is then filled by injectingmolten seal material into the injection-molding die, and allowing suchmolten rubber to contact and fuse to each seal end.

However the corners are fused, the first and second sealing lobes 41, 42(or 141, 142, 241, 242, etc.) form a continuous and uninterrupted“bulbs” around the entire periphery of the seal. To create thiscontinuity of the sealing lobes, the material of one seal portion lobeis directly joined to the material of another seal portion lobe by thecorner structure. In the case of a mitered joint, for example, thesealing lobes of one seal portion extend outwardly at 45-degrees to meetand are directly fused to complementary sealing lobes also extending at45-degrees. In the case of an injection-molded corner, thecross-sectional geometry of the corners is controlled by theinjection-molding die for a given corner to ensure that the lobes aresimilarly continuous through the corners.

The injection-molding die may have a different cross-sectional geometrycompared to the two adjacent seal portion cross-sections (which may bedifferent from one another, as discussed above). However, an exemplaryinjection-molding die is formed to create corners having substantiallythe same cross-sectional area as the adjacent seal portions. Keeping thecross-sectional area constant throughout the corners, whether byinjection molding or fusing mitered corners, prevents the formation of“harder” or otherwise dissimilar material properties at the sealcorners, and ensures that the seal will have consistent stretch,deformability and pliability throughout. To further enhance thisconsistency in the physical properties of seals 24, 24′, theinjection-molded corners will have voids adjacent to cylindrical and/ortriangular hollows 46, 146 (FIGS. 4 and 8). The voids leave an absenceof material next to hollows 46, 146 to ensure that second deformablesealing lobes 42, 142 will deform near the corners in the same manner asin the middle of a respective seal portion.

To produce seals 24, 24′ with injection-molded corners, up to sixseparate dies may be used. An upper/outside die is formed to fuse thecorners between upper portion 21 and outer portion 23 of seals 24, 24′.A lower/outside die is a mirror image of the upper/outside die and formsthe corners between lower portion 25 and outer portion 23 of seals 24,24′. A left upper/inside die is specially adapted to merge thedissimilar cross-sections of upper portion 21 and inner portion 27 ofseal 24. A left lower/inside die is a mirror image of the leftupper/inside die and forms the corner between lower portion 25 and innerportion 27 of seal 24.

It is also contemplated that the lower/outside and upper/outside cornersmay be formed by a single die, bringing the total number of dies down tofive. Further, an identical cross-section can be used for all four sideson one of seals 24, 24′, potentially allowing the upper/inside andlower/inside corners to be formed by the same die used for thecorresponding outside corners. In this case, the total number of diesrequired for the corners may be as few as three.

A right upper/inside die is optional, and is used where right inner sealportion 27′ has a different, unique cross-sectional geometry as comparedto the other portions of seal 24′. Where used, the right upper/inside isspecially adapted to merge the dissimilar cross-sections of upperportion 21 and inner portion 27′ of seal 24′. A right lower/inside dieis used in conjunction with the right upper/inside die, and is a mirrorimage of the right upper/inside die for forming the corner between lowerportion 25 and inner portion 27′ of seal 24′. Where a uniformcross-sectional seal geometry is used for all four sections of rightseal 24′, the upper/outside die can be used for the lower/inside cornerof right seal 24′, and lower/outside die can be used for theupper/inside corner of right seal 24′.

While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design,the present invention can be further modified within the spirit andscope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended tocover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using itsgeneral principles. Further, this application is intended to cover suchdepartures from the present disclosure as come within known or customarypractice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fallwithin the limits of the appended claims.

1.-11. (canceled)
 12. A method of producing a door seal, the methodcomprising: procuring a first seal portion holder, the first sealportion holder comprising: a first recess defining a longitudinal axis,and a first inner face defining an angle with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the first recess; procuring a second seal portionholder, the second seal portion holder comprising: a second recessdefining a longitudinal axis, and a second inner face defining a secondangle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the second recess;placing a first seal portion into the first seal portion holder, thefirst seal portion having a miter-cut end, said step of placing thefirst seal portion including placing the miter-cut end substantiallyflush with the first inner face; placing a second seal portion into thesecond seal portion holder, the second seal portion having a miter-cutend, said step of placing the second seal portion including placing themiter-cut end substantially flush with the second inner face; and fusingthe first seal portion to the second seal portion.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein said step of fusing comprises: placing a ribbonbetween the miter-cut ends of the first and second seal portions; andheating the miter-cut ends and the ribbon.
 14. The method of claim 12,further comprising, prior to said fusing step, the additional step of:moving said first seal portion holder inward toward said second sealportion holder.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising theadditional step of: repeating said fusing step on additional sealportions to create a seal with a closed profile.
 16. The method of claim15, wherein the additional seal portions comprise two additional sealportions, and the closed profile defines a rectangular profile.
 17. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising the additional step of:installing the seal onto a door having a profile corresponding to theclosed profile.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said step ofinstalling further comprises: stretching the seal over edges and cornersof the door.
 19. A method of sealing an opening, the method comprising:procuring a monolithic, elastically deformable first seal, the firstseal comprising: a first plurality of seal portions; a first pluralityof seal corners, each of the seal corners integrally joining two of thefirst plurality of seal portions; and the first plurality of sealportions joined by the seal corners to form a closed profile, the firstplurality of seal portions cooperating to define at least one sealinglobe extending continuously around a periphery of the first seal;attaching a first one of the first plurality of seal corners to acorresponding first corner of a first door, the first door movablebetween a closed position and an open position; stretching one of thefirst plurality of seal portions to align a second one of the firstplurality of seal corners with a corresponding second corner of thefirst door; attaching the second one of the first plurality of sealcorners to the corresponding second corner of the first door; andrepeating said attaching and stretching steps for the remainder of thefirst plurality of seal corners such that the first seal fullyencapsulates a periphery of the first door.
 20. The method of claim 19,further comprising the additional step of: attaching each of the firstplurality of seal portions to a corresponding edge of the first door,such that the corresponding edge occupies a space defined by therespective seal portion.
 21. The method of claim 19, wherein saidstretching step comprising stretching the respective seal portion by aslittle as 3% and as much as 30%.
 22. The method of claim 19, furthercomprising the additional steps of: procuring a monolithic, elasticallydeformable second seal, the second seal comprising: a second pluralityof seal portions; a second plurality of seal corners, each of the sealcorners integrally joining two of the second plurality of seal portions;and the second plurality of seal portions joined by the seal corners toform a closed profile, the second plurality of seal portions cooperatingto define at least one sealing lobe extending continuously around aperiphery of the second seal; attaching a first one of the secondplurality of seal corners to a corresponding first corner of a seconddoor, the second door movable between a closed position and an openposition, the first and second doors adjacent to one another when intheir respective closed positions; stretching one of the secondplurality of seal portions to align a second one of the second pluralityof seal corners with a corresponding second corner of the second door;attaching the second one of the second plurality of seal corners to thecorresponding second corner of the second door; and repeating saidattaching and stretching steps for the remainder of the second pluralityof seal corners such that the second seal fully encapsulates a peripheryof the second door.